Improvement in middlings-purifiers



4 Sheets--Sheet 1.

Patented Nov.` 25,1873.

WITNESSES.

. v -4Shets-Sheet2. E. N. LACROIX.

MiddIinvgs-Puriers.

No. 144,988. Patented N0v.25,1a73.

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Middlings-Puriers.

N0. 144,988. 'PatentedxNov.25,18 73-.

INT/ENTOR 4Sheets--Sheet 4.

l E. N. LAROIX.v

. Middings-Puriflers. No. 144,988. Patented Nov.25,1873.

WI TJVESSES. IJV'T/'EWTOR elevation, of my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT (DrrroEo EDMUND N. LACROIX, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MIDDLINGS-PURIFIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1,114,988, dated November 25, 1873; application filed November 22, 1873.

ers; and I do hereby declare the following tof be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying` drawings which form part of this speciicationt My invention relates to improvements 1nl middlings-puriers. Its object is to soV construct the sieve and other parts that the middlings shall be longer submitted to the purifying action of a suction-fan above, and a moving blast under, the bolt-cloth; ,and also a reciprocating annular sieve, having a rising and falling motion to permit a current of air to rise freely through the bolt-cloth to facilitate the ascension of the fibrous matter, and by that means to more throughly purify the middlings; and, in connection therewith, mechanism foroperating the diiferent parts of the machine, as will hereinafter appear;

In the drawings, Figure l is a view, in side Fig. 2 is a central vertical section taken at right angles to Fig. l, and showing the cam-wheel D d in alseparate view below. Fig. 3 is a plan view of my invention with all that portion of the mechanism above the lifting-cams removed. Fig. 4 is a separate view, in half-section, of the conical collecting boards beneath the screen, taken through the refuse-discharge spout. Fig. 5 is a view of theair-pipe, showing one methodby uniform and equal openings-of forcing a double blast upon every part of the screen. Fig. 5 is a diagram, showing my air-tubes in cross-section, and illustrating the direction of the air-currents as they are projected against the bolt-cloth; Yshowing also the eects of this peculiar blast upon the pendent bers of the bolt-cloth. Fig. (represents a sliding cut-ofi that may be placed within a pipe by which the sizeof the blast-openings maybe varied at pleasure. Fig. 7 is a plan or top view of sieve. Figs. 8 and 9 are views, in section and plan, of a device for adjusting the length of crank-stroke. Fig. 10 represents a cross-section of my discharge-spout, showing the ilexi ble connection of the same with the screen to accommodate the motions of said screen.

yfastened to the sieve-frame,

A is a framey of suitable construction, which supports the mechanism complete. lindrical chamber, terminating in a conical top or dome. O is an inner concentric conicallytopped cylinder, that protects the cam-`gearing D el, and the driving-pinion e at'the end of the shaft E, and by which the perforated air-pipe and brushD D are made to reciprocate beneath the screen F. The screen F is given a shaking motion by means of an arm, G, Fig.

7, attached to the shaking-bar H of the screen by a ball-and-s'ocket joint at one end, and operated 'by means of a disk, I, upon the drivingshaft S, at the other end. While the shaking motion is given to the screen F the same is made to rise in its forward motion, pitch the material upward and forward, and then drop back from under the same, so that they will fall ony anadvanced portion of the screen. This is effected by means of small rollers or lugs K, that run or slide upon rising and adjustable cams L. When the material is thus tossed up off the screen the air-blast is but little impeded in its passage through the meshes of the sieve; and, while descending, this blast so stirs up the material that all light fibrous matter is driven out, and the middlings permitted to fall in a graded state, according to the specic gravity of their p and reciprocating-pipe D', upon the under side' of the screen Fin thin jets or blades, while the suctionfan Q, exhausts the air from the chamber above the screen.

The sieve or screen is composed of cloths of different degrees of neness, varying from a fine mesh at the head to a coarse one at the tail, as shown in Fig. 7. At theV tail-end is a discharge-port, through which the offal is dis charged. The sides of this port are connected, by flexible cloths r, to the sides of the spout It beneath, as shown in Figs. 4 and l0. These flexible cloths will yield as the screen is vi brated.l

Bisacy-l The screen may be level throughout; or it may either rise or fall, as may be desired, from the head to the tail, according to the rate or rapidity with which it is desired to carry the material forward and, if desired, the screen may be given a downward pitch from the periphery to the center in order to counteract the slight centrifugal action caused by the slight rotary action in shaking.

The screen is kept taut by'a drum-head stretching device, as follows: The screen is attached to a hoop, F, and the concentric rim or drum F is placed within the hoop upon the screen, and a tension is produced by setscrews f passing through the lugs attached to the frames F F. (See Fig. I.) The reciprocating cam-gear D is cogged both on its upper and lower sides, and is operated by a pinion, e. When the wheel D is so far revolved that the cam d comes in contact with the pinion e, the pinion is carried down through the opening shown in the figure below, (Fig. 2,) and travels upon the under set of cogs, causing the wheel D, the pipe D, and brush D"y to travel in an opposite direction. This is desiral in all cases, but is necessary in the madnhchine shown, because of the interposition of ile ible walls, r, Fig. I0, beneath the screen.

Instead of a pipe and brush, Imay dispense with the brush and employ another pipe. The pipe, Figs. 5 and 5%, is provided with slits or openings, so made that in the passage of the pipe by any point in the screen a double blast is thrown upon it, and the blast will, in passing any given point, be directed toward the point from all the directions, as shown by Fig. 5.

It is well known that in sifting middlings the meshes are citen partially lled with iine brous substances that project through beneath, and a direct blast upon such a mesh might simply fold the liber against the screen so as eiiectually to stop up, instead of to open, the mesh; but, as shown in Fig. 5%, should such a thing happen, the diagonal blasts would again open them and force a blast through .the meshes, and what meshes fail to'open in the forward motion would be opened in the return motion of the reciprocating pipe.

If the blasts of air from the pipe D are too thick or broad, the device shown in Fig. 6, of the sliding similarly-slotted plate d upon the a interior, can be adjusted as desired. In order to give an adjustable length of stroke to the shaker-arm ofthe screen, Iv employ a device shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

On the end of the drive-shaft S I put the crank-wheel or disk I, and upon its face is secured another wheel or disk,, that carries the crank handle or attachment. By turning this disk i, the length of the crank-arm, and, consequently, the stroke of the sieve, may be varied from the greatest, as shown in Fig. 9, to nothing at all, which would be the case with the disk i turned until the handle was at the zjlnter of the large disk I, as shown by dotted The iieXible walls 1', connecting the spout R, Fig. 10, with the sieve prevent the air from passing up through the discharge-port at the tail of the sieve.

In order to prevent air passing in above the sieve around the top of the drum F because v of the suction, I employ a band, U, of indiarubber or other flexible material, as shown in Figs. l and 2, that covers over the intervening space.

I lay no claim here to thebroad combination, with a screen or sieve, of a suction over it and an air-blast beneath it, as that forms the sub ject-matter of a previous application oi' mine. 9

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An annular sieve constructed and operated as described, the material to be acted upon traveling over the same in the path of a circle from head to tail.

2. The combination, with an annular sieve, constructed as described, of mechanism for imparting a reciprocating or vibrating motion to the same, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3.. The combination, with an annular reciprocating or vibrating sieve, of mechanism for imparting a rising-and-falling motion to the same, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination, with an annular reciprocating or vibrating sieve, of an automatic cleaning device underneath the same for keep ing the meshes of the cloth clear.

5. The combination, with a sieve or shaker, of mechanism for imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the devices for cleaning the meshes of the cloth.

6. The combination, with an annular reciprocating or vibrating sieve, oi' a suctionblast, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. rlhe combination, with an annular reciprocating or vibrating sieve, of an air-blast underneath the same, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The air pipe or pipes D', constructed with diagonal openings, with or without slides cl, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination, with the chamber B and annular sieve F, of the flexible ring or band U, Vfor the purpose specified.

10. The combination, with an annular reciprocating sieve, of discharge-spout R and.

flexible connections i', substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of November, 1873.

EDMUND N. LACROIX.

Witnesses WELLs W. LEGGETT, ACLAND BovLE. 

